Ghani calls for greater focus on science & technology

KABUL (Pajhwok): President Ashraf Ghani warned on Sunday that relentless terrorist activities, political instability and climate change were threatening the region.

Addressing the OIC Science and Technology Summit in Astana, the capital of Kazakistan, Ghani said: “We are living in fast-changing conditions, surrounded by ambiguity."

The president underlined the need for a clear understanding that the fourth industrial revolution was not only a source of fear and displacement but also an opportunity for being optimistic about the future.

He added: “We should learn from past experiences. If we don't, then we have to be prepared to pay a huge price." Lesson should be learnt from the current situation, he said.

The first lesson was that Muslim countries, consumers in the past three revolutions, never tried to be producers. Thus Muslims had been novice in the science and technology sphere and should strive to become familiar with it.

Ghani said the third lesson was that science and technology could not be tactical and there was a need for a strategic approach; there should be a clear understanding of the barriers in the way of utilising science and technology.

“We should devise a proper plan to learn from each other and move forward. We should improve our cultural, social and educational systems,” Ghani remarked.

Afghanistan was building a wide range of optical fiber in the region, which would be joined by Central and South Asian countries, the president concluded.